Books to help you cook up meals yourself

Today's cover story is all about premade dinners. If you'd rather put dinner on the table the old-fashioned way — actually cooking — here are new cookbooks that might help:

"52 Weeks of Proven Recipes for Picky Kids," by Jill McKenzie (Deseret Book, $13.95), offers more than 100 recipes to turn picky eaters into daring diners. McKenzie, of Lehi, has six picky eaters of her own at home, and she was worked as a personal chef to families with young children. Some of the recipes use fun gimmicks, such as Bat Wings (chicken wings with a gingery apricot glaze), Cap'n Crunch Chicken and Octopus and Shells (sliced hot dogs, mixed vegetables and pasta with fish-shaped crackers sprinkled over the top). But others are more straightforward, such as Lemon Parmesan Pasta, Herbed Chicken Kabobs and Chicken Tortilla Soup. There are no photos.

She offers some tips for getting kids to eat. For instance, tell them they just have to take one bite. If, after that, they don't want it, don't force them to eat it. Try foods in different forms; if they don't like plain bananas, they still might like them in a smoothie. And involve them in preparing dinner.

McKenzie has taught cooking classes at Macey's, Utah Valley University and other local venues.

"Family Dinner Cookbook," by Debbie G. Harman (Covenant Communications, $21.95), boasts "more than 400 simple & delicious recipes for every day of the week." Here you'll find recipes that have become local standards, such as the Chicken Enchilada Casserole, 7-Layer Taco Dip, Hawaiian Haystacks and Funeral Potatoes. They range from easy to involved.

There are no photographs, but the book's colorful art and page borders give it an old-fashioned, homey touch. The recipes are organized with desserts first, then according to days of the week: Sunday Dinners, Monday Crock-Pot Meals and Family Night Treats and Snacks, Tuesday Pasta and Rice, Wednesday Soup and Bread, Thursday Casseroles, Friday Favorites, Saturday Morning Brunch and Saturday Night Salad Bar. There's also a chapter on Extended Family Gatherings, with recipes for large groups.

None of the recipes give a serving yield; that's especially a drawback with recipes for a crowd. If you don't know how much clam chowder a recipe yields, you could run out or end up with tons of leftovers.

Harman, of Manti, has sprinkled the book with personal stories and observations. Harman also wrote "Cooking for Two" (Covenant Communications," $16.95), with smaller-portioned recipes.